Niskayuna schools offering cooking classes

Cooking classes are part of the winter series of continuing-education classes offered by the Niskayuna Central School District:

Cooking with Café Nola: Kevin Brown, chef-owner of Café Nola in Schenectady, will lead a series of six, hands-on, eat-what-you-cook classes on Tuesday evenings from Jan. 31 through March 13 at the restaurant. Topics include Cajun cuisine, Portuguese cuisine, clams and Mardi gras favorites. $55 per class or $50 for participants signing up for more than one. Details here (page 12).

Sushi-making with the staff of Mr. Wasabi: Three-hour sessions on Feb. 16 and March 20 at Niskayuna High School. $30 per class or $50 for both. Details here (page 14).

Sign up at the district’s continuing-ed office, 1239 Van Antwerp Road, Niskayuna (377-4666 ext. 50731), or download the brochure and registration form for instructions.

Elmer (#2), I think the only thing you can tell pw along those lines is something Mark Twain wrote.

He was answering correspondence from a person who asked how much fish he should eat, since it was supposedly good for the brain. Twain’s answer was that given the quality of the writing samples the person had sent, maybe a couple of average-sized whales would be about right. Not giant ones; just average size.

@NB you would really pay $55 to have someone show you how to make dinner? Maybe for a private lesson at $55 per half hour (which I would pay btw) but this is a class of how may people? How much individual attention can one get in a cooking class of 12?

PW, when you’re taught by a good chef or a good culinary instructor, you learn much more than just how to create the specific dishes covered in the course. You learn about ingredients and flavors and theories and techniques that are applicable all throughout your cooking. The specific recipes are just vehicles to teach the techniques. And the presence of other students is actually pretty valuable, since they will ask questions, and have problems, and so on, that you may not experience. The answers to their questions and solutions to their problems likely end up being useful in other situations you encounter in your own cooking. It’s really not about the one dish you make in class and eat and can’t dance with.

@josho: again i ask how much 1 on1 will you get in a class of 6 or more? An instructor can stop a dance class and help you with a move. When the pan is hot and the oil sizzling it is hard to stop a class to assist another in a cooking class. I would gladly pay $110 per hour for private lessons. But not $55 for class full of people

pw, I think you’re overestimating the need for 1 on 1. When I took courses at SCCC and at the CIA, the only time I *really* needed 1 on 1 was when I was having a problem executing a specific technique, and, much of the time, that problem could be addressed simply by posing it as a question to the instructor (which, as I said, benefits every student within earshot). There were a few times that having the instructor walk over and do something with me were helpful, but in those instances, you really only need 30 seconds or a minute of the instructor’s time hands-on. Also, since the student standing on either side of you is going through the same process you are, if THEY aren’t having a problem with the technique, they can help you with it…and you, in turn, help them with anything they’re having problems with.